A. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to methods and apparatuses regarding vehicle tray mechanisms and, more specifically, to methods and apparatuses regarding a vehicle tray mechanism having a beverage holding device that automatically opens partially when the tray is opened.
B. Description of the Related Art
It is known to provide vehicles with a tray that can be opened to reveal a storage zone or area into which articles can be stored. The tray can then be closed, making the articles inaccessible. To access the articles, it is only necessary to reopen the tray. It is also known to provide vehicles with a beverage holding device (commonly referred to as a “cup holder”) that can be opened or exposed so that a beverage can be held. The cup holder can also be closed, when it is undesirable to hold a beverage, to remove the cup holder from view.
Known trays and cup holders generally work well for their intended purposes. A known difficulty, however, is related to the fact that it is desirable to provide multiple devices, including trays and cup holders, within easy reach of the vehicle driver. The area that the vehicle driver can reach is limited. Thus, typically vehicle manufactures provide either a tray or a cup holder within reach of the vehicle driver, but not both. The assignee of this patent has developed a solution to this problem by providing, as shown in FIGS. 7a and 7b, a tray mechanism 1. The tray mechanism 1 includes a storage zone or area 2 that can be used to store articles and that can be covered by moving a lid 3 over the storage zone 2. A cup holder device 4 can be extended over the storage zone 2, when the lid 3 is open as shown in FIG. 7b, so that beverages can be held in the storage zone 2 and rest against the cup holder device 4. The tray mechanism 1, though it works well for its intended purpose, has a limitation. The limitation is that the cup holder device 4 cannot be easily seen by the vehicle operator when in the stored condition, shown in FIG. 7a. 
What is needed is a tray that can be opened and closed and a beverage holding device that is automatically opened partially when the tray is opened so that it is easily visible by the vehicle operator. In this way, the difficulties and limitations known in the prior art can be overcome.